Catherine Wright

Graduate Student: Genetics and Molecular Biology (2009-2014)

Contact: wrightce@email.unc.edu

Education:

North Carolina State University – B.S. in Biochemistry, Plant Biology, and Biological Sciences, 2009

Research:

Proper blood vessel development requires the coordination of multiple cellular mechanisms within the individual cells that make up the vessel. The need to properly form and maintain sprouts via these mechanisms is crucial in the repair of vascular beds. Disruption in cellular events such as migration, adhesion, and cell division orientation lead to perturbed vascular sprouts. Our lab has previously shown that growth factors involved in vessel sprouting influence cell division while other groups have shown effects on migration and adhesion, however the downstream mechanisms are not well understood. We have chosen to focus on pathways that have been previously characterized in other systems. Here, we have characterized a requirement for LGN, a linker protein that intersects with polarity and migration pathways, in endothelial sprout integrity. We have utilized a three-dimensional sprouting angiogenesis assay to determine the effect of loss of LGN on vascular sprouts and found that sprout integrity is reduced, both in branching and cell attachment to the sprout.

Publications:

Burr CA, Leslie ME, Orlowski SK, Chen I, Wright CE, Daniels MJ, Liljegren SJ. (2011) CAST AWAY, a membrane-associated receptor-like kinase, inhibits organ abscission in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiology. 156(4):1837-50.